Mindy Kaling Will Return To The Office, Talks New Show The Mindy Project

July 23, 2012 03:53 PM EDT

Mindy Kaling has a new comedy heading to FOX this fall, but she will still crop up on NBC’s “The Office.”

“I think I’m gonna be in the premiere, which I’m really excited about and maybe another episode,” Mindy said during “The Mindy Project” panel at the FOX portion of the Television Critics Association summer tour in Beverly Hills on Monday. “That was great because I got so attached to that character, even though I would have a line maybe every episode. It’s fun to see what’s gonna happen to Kelly.”

Greg Daniels, who developed “The Office” for the U.S. market, will help Mindy’s own comedy at one point in its first season.

“My old friend and former boss Greg Daniels is coming to direct an episode, which will be great to see him in this capacity, I’ll just be like, ‘Who’s the boss now?’ Right?” she laughed, in response to a question from Access Hollywood.

In “The Mindy Project,” the actress plays Mindy, a doctor who has some personal romantic struggles, but overall, the hope that life will turn out like a great romantic comedy.

While her character has a rollercoaster ride in the pilot – after interrupting the wedding of an ex, played by guest star Bill Hader (Ed Helms is also a pilot love interest), Mindy’s character finds herself centered by her dedication to the medical profession.

The actress explained that it was her own mother who inspired the character’s job on her new show.

“I picked doctor because my mother was an OBGYN and it was just a job that I had a lot of research on, kind of accidentally throughout my life,” Mindy explained. “And weirdly her hours are really similar to my hours as a writer/performer.”

The show also stars “The Newsroom’s” Chris Messina and former “The Good Wife” and “True Blood” actress Anna Camp.

As for Mindy, she said helming her own show has been a thrill.

“It’s awesome,” she said.

She also revealed that fans of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” can expect to hear references to the fantasy drama as a result of her writers’ room fandom for the show.

“My writing staff, like they’re just obsessed with ‘Game of Thrones’ references – dragons, stealing eggs of dragon babies,” she said. “You might see – more than your average show – a lot of ‘Game of Thrones’ references. It’s an extreme show with lots of sex and I’m trying to watch it so that I can feel a part of the writers.”